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Manuel Ugarte joined Manchester United from PSG this summer for a £50.7m fee with potential add-ons included.
The midfielder has made 22 caps for the Uruguayan national team and was a reliable starter for PSG last season.
PSG’s sporting director Luis Campos described Ugarte as “one of the best central midfielders in Europe” this week.
So, why would PSG allow one of their most valuable assets in midfield leave to a potential future European competitor?
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Campos insisted that the decision to sell Manuel Ugarte was not a reflection of his footballing ability.
“There was a change of project last year, a new way of playing”, he told SportItalia.
Luis Enrique began his tenure as PSG manager in July 2023 and wanted to implement a different footballing philosophy at the club.
Campos also implied that there were concerns over Ugarte’s injury history, which may have hindered his performance.
“He had a difficult year, two important injuries that as he himself told me did not allow him to be at the level he expected and we expected”, he said.
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This news will not be received with welcome ears by United fans, who have six players listed as injured after only three Premier League games.
Ugarte returned to Carrington from the international break just yesterday, but has been deemed available to play, according to Erik ten Hag.
“He is available for the game”, said Ten Hag, when asked about Ugarte’s injury status.
Despite PSG’s concerns about the Uruguayan’s injury history, he has seemed to recover just in time for an early important spell in the season.
United will play five games over the next 15 days, and Ten Hag will hope that Ugarte provides some much needed depth in central midfield.
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